Ethiopia plans to withdraw thousands of troops from Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Ethiopia plans to withdraw more than 3,000 soldiers from Somalia, as the fighting in the northern part of the country puts pressure on its troops, Bloomberg reported, although the Somali government stated that no official notice has been submitted.

According to sources familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg, Ethiopian forces may begin their withdrawal from Somalia in the coming days or weeks. The sources indicated that the plan has not yet been officially announced.

An official from the Somali Ministry of Defense stated that Mogadishu has not received any notice from Ethiopia regarding a plan to withdraw its troops from Somalia.

“Ethiopia has not sent us any plan regarding the withdrawal of its forces from Somalia. If they inform us, we will let you know,” the official said.

It is still unclear whether the reported plan pertains to Ethiopian troops that are part of the African Union Mission in Support of Stability in Somalia (AUSSOM), Ethiopian forces under bilateral agreements, or both.

Ethiopia has thousands of soldiers in Somalia, with some of its troops operating under AUSSOM, while others are stationed in regions of southern and central Somalia. Ethiopian forces have long played a role in the fight against Al-Shabaab and in securing areas near the border of the two countries.

The Bloomberg report has emerged as Ethiopia faces new battles in the north of the country, particularly in the Tigray region, where federal government forces and Tigray forces have clashed again. The fighting has resurfaced four years after the Pretoria agreement in 2022 that ended the two-year conflict.

Tensions have escalated after the TPLF and other armed groups formed an alliance against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government. Reports from Ethiopia also indicate that the fighting has spread to parts of the Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regions.

If the plan for Ethiopia's withdrawal is implemented, questions are arising about who will fill the bases and locations from which Ethiopian forces are departing, especially in areas where those forces have operated for a long time.

This issue also comes shortly after a meeting in Addis Ababa between President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Both sides discussed the relationship between the two countries and the political and security issues in the Horn of Africa region, but there was no official statement indicating that the meeting addressed plans for the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia.

AUSSOM reported in early September that Ethiopian forces operating in Sector 4 had conducted a troop rotation, with new soldiers replacing those who had been part of the operation for three years.

So far, Somalia, the African Union, and Ethiopia have not officially announced any changes in the number of Ethiopian troops in Somalia.